


Ready for Anything (Except that)

by NattheBattz



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 02:13:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4417097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NattheBattz/pseuds/NattheBattz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Ready for anything". Those are his words- Coulson tells her so- and at first she almost rolls her eyes at how obvious she thinks that is. She thinks about all the things she's experienced since Coulson opened the door to her van, so yeah, sue her if she wants to scoff at the good doctor's appraisal.<br/>But he is wrong, and so is she. They are so utterly wrong.<br/>Jemma Simmons is gone, and she is not ready for that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea bouncing around ever since I heard Andrew say this to Coulson honestly. If you haven't seen all 44 episodes, this fic has **major** spoilers, but if you have then you're golden!  
>  The rating may or may not change later on, I haven't decided yet. Also depending on which path this fic takes, I may have to add the violence tag for some action sequences. (It wouldn't be super grotesque or anything, but just as a precaution.)  
> Alright, read on, as always, I apologize for any errors you may find, hope you like it!

"Ready for anything". Those are his words- Coulson tells her so- and at first she almost rolls her eyes at how obvious she thinks that is. After being kidnapped by a secret agency- just to end up being recruited into it, held at gunpoint, holding others at gunpoint, learning to fight, being shot _twice_ , being brought back to life using alien blood, watching the only real family she knew crumble apart because of a thought-to-be-dead agency, finding out that her crush was actually just lying to her the whole time and was actually Hydra, watching the only resemblance of a father figure she had going mad because of what was in his blood, killing a kid- for the greater good- just to find out that Jemma was undercover at Hydra, finding her father- just to have him turn out to be a monster, dealing with the fact that she found a sense of satisfaction from shooting Ward- and the disappointment when finding out her shots had not killed him, finding out she wasn't even a human, essentially dying to be "reborn" with powers, watching Tripp die and knowing it's mostly her fault, Jemma and the team- aside from Fitz- looking at her like she was a monster, a blind teleporter- who was more like her than anyone on the team- saving her as S.H.I.E.L.D. betrayed her, being housed by the Inhumans- which she is, meeting her mother, being absolutely torn between her family and her _actual_ family, finding out that her mother was just as much (if not more so) a monster as her father, trying to save S.H.I.E.L.D. from her own race, watching as her mother tried to kill her, watching her father kill her mother in order to save them all, then, she met her father again, but this new version had no recollection of her- which was for the best because he didn't need to remember all the things he had done for Jiaying.  
  
She has lost literally everything she ever hoped to find. The only thing she has left from a lifetime of questions and death and heartbreak is her name. Her parents are now gone, and she knows that there's a possibility they would still be alive and well had she not searched them out. So she goes by her birth name now. (She certainly sacrificed enough for it.)  
  
The name "Daisy Johnson" is all that is left of the love and life her parents once had together- the love and life that was brutally ripped from them by Hydra- so going by it is the least she can do. (Plus it makes her feel closer to them.)  
  
Now she's a part of a new project of Coulson's, and it's as a Secret Warrior with a new name: Quake. So yeah, sue her if she wants to scoff at the good doctor's appraisal.  
  
But he is wrong, and so is she. They are so utterly wrong.  
  
Jemma Simmons is gone, and she is not ready for that.  
  
Daisy knows it isn't fair of her to blame Fitz, but she's viewed the security footage of the incident so many times that she can see it when she closes her eyes. She can see the moment his hand bumps the latch, allowing the door to click open. She can see the moment that leads up to the worst moment of her life. Which, if Andrew were still here, he could probably tell her why _that_ moment is the worst. She thinks about all the things she's experienced since Coulson opened the door to her van, and wonders why, out of all of it, that this is the thing that breaks her. She likes to think that it's because she never had time to feel everything else, and now Jemma disappearing just tipped the scale, and with no new mission taking the focus off of getting her back, there's not the usual distraction, leaving her with nothing but time.  
  
Lincoln tells her multiple times that it's not safe for her to stay in that room. The rock- that isn't even a rock really, but whatever- is extremely toxic to Inhumans, but Daisy doesn't care. She moved a small cot in the room the very night Jemma disappeared. (That was three days ago.) Coulson and Fitz have both tried on many separate occasions to get her to sleep in her room, but she still doesn't care. She just wants Jemma back. That's all she wants.  
  
Jemma has _always_ been there for her when she's woken up. What kind of friend would that make her if she isn't here when Jemma gets back? She isn't going to find out, because she is going to be here. The only reason she leaves the room is to go to the bathroom. (She has her hair pulled up because it's starting to get pretty greasy.) Fitz, probably out of guilt- he's a smart guy, he knows he's the one who accidentally opened the container- brings her food for her, along with any updates about the monitoring of the rock and just in general about what Coulson is doing, or what the world is like outside these four walls. His eyes keep darting toward the container sitting in the center of the room, the physical representation of the elephant looming over both of them. Daisy tells him it's not his fault. They both know she's lying. He smiles at her and says he knows.  
  
Daisy tries to pass the time by working out. She knows that she would normally just get on her computer when she needed to kill time, but she has to physically do something or she's going to lose her mind. She wants to fight someone, or something, or just- _do something_.  
  
Jemma is God-knows-where because of that giant fucking rock that taunts her from behind the glass, and she has to just sit here and wait. It's excruciating. She wants to go back to Afterlife and reduce the mountain she shook to rubble. She knows she could if she tries hard enough. But that would mean leaving this room. So she just sighs and starts on her third set of a hundred push-ups instead.  
  
Her arms burn, the wisps of her bangs are sticking to her temples due to the light sweat she's broken into, she's focusing on lining up the sound of her breathing to her position in the push-up. She hears her pulse start to increase thanks to the monitor still on her wrist, but that doesn't make sense since she's keeping her breathing steady. But her heart rate keeps increasing, and she's starting to get light headed so she stops and sits down on the floor to put her head between her knees. The beeping on her wrist is still increasing, and she's gasping now. She can't breathe, and she feels like she did on the soccer field when she directed her powers inward. She feels like she's being crushed, and she's going to crumble like she wants that mountain to. She doesn't realize she's rocking until she feels arms wrap around her shoulders and legs brush the sides of her own , but they don't stop her, instead they merely start rocking with her.  
  
She looks up to tell whoever is with her that she needs a doctor- but Jemma's not here- and then she realizes that she's crying. Fitz leans back slightly to brush the hair away from her face. "I know Daisy. I know." She wraps her arms around his torso, fists her hands in the grey material of his cardigan, lifts her legs to let them settle on either side of his waist, and muffles her screams into his shoulder.  
  
She doesn't know how long she's like that- curled up in his lap, screaming her throat raw, crying so hard that she feels like she's shaking apart- but not once does the circular motion of his hand on her back stop, not once does he stop rocking them, and not once does he complain about her hurting his ears or ruining his cardigan. He simply holds her as she falls apart. If she wasn't so busy imploding on herself, she might have noticed the small sad smile on his lips. Fitz hates to see Skye- _Daisy_ \- her name is Daisy, like this, but he can't help but draw a parallel to how he had held Jemma like this when Skye was shot. Perhaps he will have to talk to Jemma about maybe not going on that dinner date with him but rather someone else if- _when_ \- when she gets back.  
  
Fitz doesn't say anything when Daisy finally stops, and she is extremely grateful for that. He just looks down at her, and she uses the sleeve of her sweater to wipe at her face while nodding her head. He nods back and places a hesitant kiss on the top of her head before he gets up and leaves. Daisy remains sitting on the floor in the middle of this goddamned room- when Jemma gets back, she's never stepping foot in here again- and she feels so utterly empty.  
  
"Jemma, please come back. I need you to come back now. I can't do this. Without you I mean. I can't do this without you. I know it's selfish, but I lost too much. I can't lose you too. Please? Come back?"  
  
Daisy knows that she has to look a little pathetic- if not completely mad- by sitting on the floor, looking like an absolute mess, talking to a rock. But she still doesn't care. She just needs Jemma back. She needs to give Jemma a hug, and tell her how fucking worried she's been, and just... She needs Jemma. She's almost lost her too many times already.  
  
She thought she lost her when Jemma jumped from the plane. Stupid.  
  
She thought she lost her when she felt two bullets rip through her abdomen- she was going to watch _The Lost Boys_ that night with Jemma. They still need to.  
  
She thought she lost her when Garrett told her that she and Fitz were dead. She wanted to put a bullet in him and go look for them.  
  
She thought she lost her when Jemma looked at her like she didn't know her anymore, when she looked at her like she was scared of her. Daisy was scared of herself to be fair, but it still hurt. A lot. She never thought she had to worry about those kind of feelings with Jemma.  
  
She thought she lost Jemma when she told her and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to leave Afterlife, and she felt her heart break when Jemma asked about what Daisy had intended to do. She was choosing the Inhumans, and it was clear to both of them that was the case. Stupid, _stupid_.  
  
She can't lose Jemma. Not again. Yet, here she sits, staring at the alien rock that swallowed Jemma in under a second. She sighs. She's back to square one, only now her throat hurts, and she cringes at the thought of what her face must look like.  
  
"How'd you know to come in here earlier?" She asks without looking away from the stone, knowing that Fitz is there, his footsteps alerting her to his presence.  
  
"Your monitor. Your heartbeat was accelerating at such a rapid rate... I got concerned." He replies as he places a plate of food in front of her. She tears her eyes away from the damned rock to see that he brought her half of a sub, and she looks up at him to see that he has the other half. He takes a seat next to her, close enough that if she leaned just a little their knees would brush. It's the perfect distance to her, close enough to be comforting, and far enough as to not feel encroaching.  
  
"Thank you." Daisy isn't entirely sure if she's referring to the sandwich or earlier, so she settles for meaning both. He looks at her for a few seconds before nodding his head, and she thinks that he gets the double meaning.  
  
"Jemma made this sub for me a couple of times, because she knew it's my favorite. I only got to eat one of them. Grant threw the other one away. Bastard... I hate myself so much."  
  
Daisy almost chokes on the bite she is chewing due to the sudden shift he takes. She looks at him, and he looks so pained it breaks her heart a little.  
  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything, I just. I- it- the door-" He's furrowing his brow and snapping his fingers, trying to organize the thoughts that are bombarding him. He hasn't had this much trouble talking in a while, so Daisy contributes it to him being so emotional. She doesn't say anything, but she does reach out and place her hand on his knee. He tenses at the touch, but he takes a deep breath and places his own hand over her's. "It's my fault. The stupid- I bumped it, and it opened, and she's gone, and it's my fault." He closes his eyes, and he grabs onto Daisy's hand with more force than she thought he could manage. She wants to comfort him. To tell him that's stupid, that it's not his fault. But she won't lie to him about it again. It is his fault. Jemma is gone, because of his mistake, and they live the kind of lives where mistakes cost lives. She thinks of Tripp. Mistakes cost lives. Fitz is no exception to this, and saying otherwise would be pointless.  
  
"She's coming back Fitz." She knows that maybe she's being selfish with her words by not trying to absolve him of his grief, but empty words would be worse. Besides, she has to say it, has to hear it out loud. He squeezes her hand.  
  
"Of course she is. She kind of has to you know?" He smiles at her, but Daisy can see through it. They both need Jemma in order to be themselves, and she has never been more scared that the woman won't come back. She goes back to staring at the rock. Fitz sits there and watches the rock with her for quite some time, both of them not feeling the need to talk. He squeezes her hand once before he gets up and bids her goodnight, grabbing her now empty plate before he walks out of the room.  
  
Daisy thinks about getting up and getting into her bed, but that would take energy that she no longer has, so she instead lays herself out along the floor. She closes her eyes to try and fall asleep, but she sees the rock liquefying and swallowing Jemma. She sees Jemma reaching out, but not being able to grab anything. She sees the rock solidifying again. She opens her eyes and looks to her right, just to stare at the rock. She sighs yet again. "Please be okay Jemma." Daisy closes her eyes again, and focuses on the slight burn in her arms, the buzzing feeling inside of her body that she's still adjusting to, the feeling of the cool hard floor slowly absorbing her body's heat, anything but the images burned into her mind. Jemma coming back is the last thought she has before she falls asleep.


	2. That Could Have Gone Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 2, I feel like this is the kind of chapter that you'll either love or hate, so my apologies in advance if it's the latter.  
> As always, I apologize for any grammatical errors you may find while reading this. Hope you enjoy this.

Daisy wants to cry. She doesn’t know why, but she recognizes the urge, the stinging of her eyes, the way her throat feels like it’s closing on itself, and the way her fingernails are digging into her palms are all telltale signs she’s about to cry.

“Skye, it’s time to go.” Jemma is looking down at her, and giving her the most sympathetic smile she’s ever seen. 

“Jemma?” Daisy asks as she feels her heart lurch into her throat, but it sounds wrong. Her voice is much too high, and since when is Jemma three feet taller than her?

“We’re sorry, we tried, we really did, but there’s something… Different about her.” Daisy turns around and sees her second favorite set of foster parents she had standing in the doorway to their living room. She looks back to Jemma just as the first tear makes its way down her cheek. 

“I know she can be a handful at times. Calm down Skye, we don’t want you getting worked up now do we?” Jemma asks as she squats down and holds her right hand out to Daisy. Daisy can’t keep up with what’s going on, and she can’t speak because if she opens her mouth she’ll just start sobbing. She watches as her own hand reaches for Jemma’s, but she stops when she sees that her hand in much smaller than it should be. Jemma reaches the rest of the way as Daisy continues observing her hand, and then she’s gently guiding the shorter girl out of the house she had lived at for a whole six months.

“Jemma wait, where are we going?” Daisy asks, her still-too-small voice even more apparent as it breaks with the strain of her trying not to cry. 

“Back to the bus Skye, where else would we go Silly?” Jemma answers, throwing Daisy a smile over her shoulder. Daisy is about to question her companion since they can’t go to the bus since it no longer exists, but she blinks and suddenly they’re both inside S.H.I.E.L.D.’s headquarters. A feeling of dread settles in Daisy’s stomach as she takes in the surrounding halls- the all too familiar halls. She opens her mouth to beg Jemma to turn around, to go literally anywhere but where she’s leading them, but her throat isn’t cooperating with her. She tries to pull on the hand guiding her to that godforsaken room, but it’s like Jemma doesn’t even register the struggle that she’s putting forth. Daisy takes a deep breath and tries to yell past the lump blocking her throat.

“We need to turn around right now Jemma! You can’t go near that room, near that thing! We have to go!” Daisy is crying once again, but at least she manages to force the words out of her mouth before they reach the room. Her heart is racing, and she’s terrified that if Jemma goes near the monolith again, history will repeat itself, and she will lose her again. The taller woman does not even glance behind her as she continues on her path, a helpless Daisy in tow. Daisy starts pulling against Jemma’s hand even harder, because she’s running out of time with the door to the room fifteen feet directly ahead of them. The heels of her sneakers are squeaking against the concrete floor, but Jemma’s guidance is unwavering as she continues walking forward. 

Now they’re inside the room, Fitz is standing next to the monolith tinkering with a computer resting atop a steel box, and Daisy can’t stop crying. “Skye what on earth is wrong with you?” Jemma asks, finally turning around and acknowledging the state the shorter girl is in. Daisy tries to tell her that she cannot be in this room, but she cannot speak again. Jemma tilts her head, still waiting for a reply, one that Daisy would happily give if she could just _get th words out_. Jemma’s life is hanging in the balance of her managing to start speaking again, but she just _can’t_. Now the room is starting to shake. Jemma looks around the room, and then back down at her. Her eyes are full of fear and hurt when she looks at Daisy- just like they were when she found out what Daisy really was- and it breaks the shorter girl’s heart.

“Jemma, I’m so sorry.” Daisy says, her voice sounding normal to herself once again. She brings her hands in front of herself and sees that they’re back to their normal adult size, but they’re trembling, so she knows she’s responsible for the room’s movements. She looks back up to see Jemma backing away from her, betrayal clearly displayed on her face, she has her left hand out in front of herself, like she’s trying to protect herself from Daisy, like Daisy’s a-

“Monster. This is inhuman Skye. You’re not normal. Is this why no one wanted to keep you?” Daisy glances to Fitz since it’s the first time he’s spoken, and his words do very little to help her calm down. She knows how to handle her powers better now, so why can’t she _just stop_.

“What are you?” Jemma asks, her voice accusatory. Daisy steps toward her, begging the other woman to let her explain, but Jemma matches her by taking a step back and the room begins shaking even worse. Daisy watches as the other two occupants in the room lose their balance. She watches Fitz’s hand bump the latch on the monolith’s container as he tries to catch himself. She watches the door pop open just as Jemma stumbles back, trying to put more space between Daisy and herself. She watches as the monolith liquefies behind Jemma. She watches as it pours out and catches Jemma in the wave. She listens as Jemma screams for help as the monolith solidifies again, taking Jemma away _again_. The room is still now, and she stops watching and closes her eyes as Fitz starts to scream Jemma’s name.

“This is your fault Daisy! You brought this here!” Fitz is yelling at her, but he suddenly stops, and when she opens her eyes to look at him, she’s looking at herself.

“She’s gone because of you!” Daisy can do nothing but stand there and listen as the other Daisy throws accusations at her. The other Daisy tells her that she ruined everyone’s lives by being a freak, by being Inhuman. Her doppelganger stops yelling at her and sits down so that she’s facing the monolith. She draws her knees up to her chest and rests her chin atop them. “She’s gone because of you. When she gets back, she’ll hate you. She’ll hate your _kind_.”

Daisy doesn’t know what to do. She can’t breathe, and she’s afraid she’s going to lose control of her powers again due to the emotional onslaught her other self just unleashed upon her. She jumps at the feeling of a hand gently being placed on her left shoulder, and she looks over to see Jemma standing next to her with a sad smile on her lips.

“Skye, you have to stop. You have to wake up. Quit doing this to yourself. I’m coming back, just give me some time. This is not… Your fault. Please do not feel that way. Please wake up.”

“Jemma, I’m-“

*******

Daisy gulps for air as she sits up, her head swimming. She’s still on the floor in the holding room, the monolith is still mocking her, and she’s gasping, still struggling to catch her breath. The light coat of sweat covering her body, coupling with the cool temperature of the floor causes her to shiver. Her bio meter watch is audibly announcing how fast her heart is racing- as if she can’t hear it thundering in her ears- and she’s glaring at the monolith through her tears. _Breathe. Deep breaths. Calm down_. Daisy closes her eyes and focuses on the physical things she can feel, trying to ground herself. She can feel the beating of her heart in her chest. She can feel the vibrations of the atoms under her skin. She can feel the tear currently sliding down her right cheek. She can feel the cool air starting to make its way deeper into her lungs as she manages to calm herself.

 _Worst nightmare ever_. Daisy can’t help but laugh at her own thought. She lays back down, and takes her deepest breath yet, reveling in the feel of her chest expanding, slightly lifting herself off the ground with the motion. She lets her head fall to the right so that she can see the outline of the monolith against the small security lights in the room.

“You better keep your word Jemma. I’m expecting you back. We have a movie to watch.” Daisy isn’t sure why but it gives her a- very small- peace of mind to say things as if she is still talking to Jemma. She isn’t exactly sure what the ending of her nightmare was, because it really felt like Jemma was _there_. Jemma said she was coming back, and she seemed no worse for wear, so hopefully that means that wherever the other woman is, she’s okay. Daisy crosses her ankles, laces her fingers together, rests her joined hands on her abdomen, and tilts her head back up to look at the ceiling. _I’m coming back, just give me some time_. Since joining S.H.I.E.L.D., someone communicating with her via her dreams, would definitely not be the strangest thing that’s happened to her. Convincing herself that it really was Jemma talking to her in her dream as she closes her eyes, Daisy wills herself back to sleep.

*******

“You look like shit.” Daisy rolls her eyes- which surely have bags under them by this point- at Mack’s greeting.

“Thanks Mack, just what every girl loves to hear first thing in the morning.” Daisy replies, narrowing her eyes at him as he just smiles wider at her.

"Well, I'm just being honest." He answers, slightly lifting his shoulders in a shrug as he slips his fingers into the pockets of his blue jeans. Daisy rolls her eyes once again.

"No really, feel free to start pulling your punches anytime now."

"I was sent here on a mission Skye."

"Daisy. My name is Daisy, and I appreciate the thought Mack, but I don't need a babysitter."

"Shit, sorry. Still not used to that honestly. I know you don't Daisy, but that doesn't change the fact that I have my orders. My mission is to get you to at least take a shower. It's not healthy, all the time you're spending in here. I miss her too, but-"

"But nothing Mack. Jemma is- is my friend, and she has _always_ been there for me during times like this, and I owe it to her to do the same. How would you feel if you came back from God knows where, and no one was here waiting for you?" Daisy watches as Mack inhales deeply through his nose, as if he's trying to keep his calm, as if he anticipated this exact conversation.

"How long?" He asks, maintaining eye contact, not backing down.

"How long what?" Daisy asks, her voice low as she narrows her eyes at the man in front of her. He sighs, but doesn't look anywhere but directly at her eyes.

"How long are you going to sit in this creepy ass room, putting your life on pause, waiting for her to come back? We don't even know if she is. How long is too long? You haven't left this room for more than ten minutes since she's been gone. You have not bathed in four days Sky- Daisy. So, tell me. How long is too long?"

"Get out."

"Daisy-"

"I said get out!" They both stop short when the containers around them begin to tremble. Daisy closes her eyes, and focuses on calming the waves of vibrations around her. When she opens her eyes, she sees Mack standing with his hands up in front of himself in a surrender position. The image reminds her of the dream she had the previous night and it sends a chill down her spine. "I'm sorry." She apologizes, because she means it. _"No, Fitz. **We're** the ones that need protection from **her**."_ She doesn't want Mack to be scared of her, because he has nothing to fear from her. _So long as he doesn't barge in here with accusations that Jemma may not be coming back._

"Me too. I shouldn't have said that. How about we make a compromise? I'll get a tablet and patch it through to the camera in here, that way you can get live coverage, and you can put it on the counter or bench while you're in the shower. If it came down to it, you could see something going down, jump out, grab a towel, and be back here in... Oh, I'd say thirty seconds. Depending on how fast you ran." He offers, dropping his hands down to his sides and smirking at her at the last part, finding himself humorous no doubt.

"I bet I could manage twenty-five. Twenty without the towel." Daisy answers, conceding the battle. _I really do need a shower after all._ He shakes his head at her before allowing himself to chuckle at the joke.

"I'm thinking that we shouldn't _add_ to Simmons's list of problems."

"Hey! Seeing me naked isn't a 'problem,' thank you very much!" Daisy argues, being slightly offended at the comment, not that she'd let it show.

"Yeah, no, not at all. I'll just go get that set up. I'll come get you when it's ready, yeah?"

"Yeah. Thank you Mack." She replies, looking forward to being able to take a warm shower. He nods in reply before turning and walking out of the room. She turns around from the doorway to glance at the monolith. Her mood instantly sours. _"I'm coming back, just give me some time."_

*******

"You look like shit."

"What are you talking about? I totally took a shower!" Daisy complains as she finishes twisting her towel to rest upon her head. Fitz uncrosses his arms and pushes himself off from leaning against the edge of the doorway to walk inside toward her.

"Yeah, Mack told me to say that to you when I came in here. He said it'd be funny." Fitz admits, his eyes darting between her and the monolith. He smiles weakly at her.

"Well he was right. He told me I looked like shit this morning, before I got a shower." Daisy explains, actually finding the staged coincidence humorous. Fitz doesn't seem to really be listening though. "What's wrong?" The question is asked before Daisy catches herself. _Everything is wrong dumbass_. The corner of Fitz's mouth tilts up as if he's thinking the exact same thing she is, but it's gone in the next second. He furrows his brow, and Daisy isn't sure if he's actually going to say anything or not.

"I just... Cannot believe I made such an idiotic mistake. I keep- I mean- I uh, I just... Wonder if. If I wasn't you know, like I am now, if I uh, would have still done that. Or if I might have caught it at the very least." He brings his left hand up to worry the hair at his temple as he tries to pick out the words he's looking for. "Surely, if I wasn't, damaged, then- surely I would have noticed." He's scowling at the ground between them as he mulls his own words over, and Daisy isn't exactly sure he's still talking to her.

"Fitz. You can't keep blaming yourself for this." Daisy says, because he will just drive himself mad if he continues to do so. Plus, she knows that it's what Jemma would want her to say to him.

"Why? You do. I see it. In your eyes. You blame me." His voice isn't accusatory, but factual, as if he is commenting about the weather. Daisy sighs.

"I don't blame you Fitz. Blaming each other and ourselves isn't going to do anyone any good whatsoever. We just have to focus on getting her back." She offers, slowly reaching a hand out to him, giving him plenty of time to back away or to stop her. He doesn't, so she settles her hand on his shoulder, and he reaches his own hand up to grab it. He smiles at her, and she swears she can see some genuine happiness in the action.

"I'm sorry I was so scared of you. Following the Obelisk incident. I was so glad that you were alive, but Trip wasn't, and I- I blamed you for that. I'm sorry." He says, squeezing her hand as if that would cushion the blow his words land. Daisy forces herself not to yank her hand away from him. She knows he blamed her for that. She knows he was scared of her. She knows that he didn't even want to look at her after he dubbed her "inhuman". But to hear him actually say it is something else. _"You survived the destruction... Because you caused it. There's something wrong with you."_

"It's okay Fitz. I get it." She says as she gently squeezes his shoulder in reassurance. She means it too. She gets it. Fear makes people do stupid things sometimes, but she chooses to focus on how he covered for her. He realized that she was still her, just different, so he lied to everyone on the team for her, even when she wasn't sure she deserved it. He nods at her, pats her hand a few times, glances at the monolith behind her, and leaves the room without saying anything else.

*******

Phil Coulson is going to lose his mind. _Again_. He grimaces at the joke his subconscious makes. _Not funny._ He drums the fingers of his right hand against his desk as he runs more scenarios through his head. (His left arm- or what's left of it- is still in his sling, and he had never really noticed how much he used his left hand until it was gone.) Skye- _Daisy_ \- may have stopped Jiaying's plan of taking the Terrigen crystals and escaping, but something incredibly wrong is happening, and it has "Terrigen crystals" written all over it. All over the world, there is an influx of 0-8-4's springing up, as well as an alarming death rate described as, "People turning to stones." The public have already drawn connections to these occurrences being alien related, since people turning to stone isn't a typical cause of death. The culprit behind these cases has been narrowed down to fish oil vitamins. _Of all things._

Simmons had taken the crystal that caused the loss of Coulson's arm when they cleaned up the mess on the Iliad, so Fitz had a sample to work with over these past few days. He had run numerous tests on the crystal and almost threw a tantrum when Mack picked it up using tongs, and dropped it into a bowl of water. ("Skipping all the bullshit," was Mack's argument for stepping around Fitz on the investigation.) They reported to Coulson that the crystal had begun breaking down and releasing a liquid form of its mist. Fitz then hypothesized that, when Daisy knocked the air jet into the ocean, the container the crystals were in must not have been properly sealed causing exposure to the water, causing them to liquefy and pollute the fish that the vitamins are made from. The recovery team sent to retrieve the air jet confirmed his theory by returning with the empty crystal container along with the jet.

Coulson wants to kick himself since they pretty much did exactly what Jiaying had been planning to do herself. He doesn't blame Daisy at all though, she could not have known, none of them could have. But it still stings. Aside from the multitude of deaths of normal humans, they also now have the issue of numerous Inhumans going through Terrigenesis.

Lincoln and Alisha have been out scouting for the new Inhumans, stating that it is be better for them to handle their own kind, and seeing how shorthanded he is at the moment, he can’t really turn down help with the situation. But, as Lincoln pointed out, getting to all of these confused people in a timely manner became a very difficult task the moment Gordon was killed. Finding new Inhumans had always been his job, and Coulson also has to tend to the Inhumans still in Afterlife, who are trying to figure out if S.H.I.E.L.D. is the "bad guy", or if Jiaying had really been in the wrong. Having Lincoln and Alisha help them and vouch for them has been a major benefactor, but Jiaying had been around for _years_ , so loyalties are still a bit rocky at this point.

No one has told Daisy what's happening with the Inhumans, since all of her focus is on Simmons being gone. Coulson frowns at the thought. The monolith has not liquefied again since swallowing up the scientist, nor has Daisy left the room for any reason other than to use the restroom. According to Mack however, he managed to get her to take a shower today. _Small victories._ He has contemplated locking her out of the room for her own good, but decides against it every time, knowing that if she really wants in the room, she'll find a way. Simmons being gone is an entirely different problem on its own since Coulson has always valued his own people higher than he probably, professionally should, but he considers it as much a strength as it is a weakness. As Director however, he cannot let the council see him dividing his attention from the public issue for what would be considered a "personal" matter.

The way things are going though, he can no longer allow Daisy to just sit in that room. He needs her out in the field, as the only real member of his Secret Warriors team; he needs her out there working. He is not looking forward to the argument he's sure it will turn into though. He rises from his chair and buttons his jacket as he begins walking towards the storage room. He mentally rehearses what he's going to say to Daisy once he gets there as his feet reluctantly drag him towards the inevitable confrontation. He hates arguing with her. He plans on getting the first words out, because that's the best way to approach her, to just, put it all out there. He takes a deep breath as he rounds the corner of the door.

"We have a problem-" He stops short as he takes in the scene before him

"Oh, I'm terribly afraid we have more than just a singular problem sir." Jemma says, her eyebrows tilting up as if she is apologizing for being the bearer of bad news. She's standing on the outside of the container holding the solid monolith, shivering with a metallic grey liquid dripping from her hair and clothes into a puddle around her, and Daisy is standing a few feet from her, cradling her hands to her chest as if they're hurt. He winces at the pain that shoots through his body from his left arm as he gets jostled from behind when Fitz and Mack run into the room, both of them sounding winded.

"Care to explain Simmons?" Coulson asks, trying to keep his calm for the sake of everyone else in the room. He knows that everyone's nerves are on end now that Simmons is back, and he can only imagine what she's going through herself. She's looking between everyone in the room, and nods her head at Coulson, but as she opens her mouth to speak, she sways on her feet. Daisy is already catching her before he even has time to completely comprehend that the other girl has passed out. She cries out when her hands make contact with the falling woman, and as soon as she has resting on the floor she jumps back and cradles her arms against her chest again. Fitz and Mack are running to Jemma's side as Daisy bites her lip with a grimace on her face. "Skye, what's wrong?" Coulson asks, not noticing his slip, because he's too concerned about her well being at the moment.

She grits her teeth and hisses about it being whatever is coating Jemma. Coulson suddenly remembers that the monolith is toxic to Inhumans, and now he's concerned that Daisy might be in serious trouble. "Mack, Fitz, you two get Simmons to the infirmary, _now_. Daisy, come with me, quickly, we need to get that stuff off of you." He strides over to Daisy, and places his hand on her back, guiding her out of the room.

"Sir, we don't know what that stuff is! It could react badly with water, like the crystals!" Fitz calls out as he helps Mack hoist Jemma off of the floor.

"We don't have time, it could be killing her!" He calls back, pushing a pained Daisy toward the bathrooms. She's weakly protesting, saying how she needs to stay with Jemma, but Coulson doesn't want to hear it. "We'll rinse this stuff off of you, and then you can go." She looks like she's going to argue, but he doesn't give her the chance as he leans forward to turn on the shower head in the stall and then pushes her under the stream. They both watch as the remnants of the grey liquid roll off her arms, and she hisses once again as the droplets mix with water and run over more of her skin. But after a few tense seconds of Coulson wondering if this is backfiring, she begins to relax.

“I have to go to the infirmary; I have to go see Jemma.” Daisy says as she turns to shut off the flow of water.

“Daisy, you’re soaking wet, maybe you should change your clothes first, or-“

“No. I’ll just sit on a towel or something, I need to be in that room three minutes ago Coulson.” She replies, cutting him off. Coulson isn’t sure what it is, but there’s something in her eyes that makes him nod his head instead of protesting further. It’s as if she’ll break if she doesn’t get to that room, so he simply steps aside as she starts towards the infirmary at a jog. 

"Have Fitz run tests on you when you get there!" Coulson calls out before he begins walking toward Daisy’s room so that he can take her dry clothes, but his mind keeps wandering to what Simmons had warned him about before she passed out.

“Why can’t we ever get just good news around here?” he mumbles to himself as he continues his way to Daisy’s room. He needs to call Lincoln and tell him to get back to base since he’s a bit out of his league when it comes to knowing about the biology of Inhumans and how the monolith affects them, plus, he might be able to make sense out of whatever it is that Simmons will tell them when she wakes up. Simmons returning is absolutely amazing, however, suddenly reemerging from an alien monolith after being gone for days with an ominous warning just before falling unconscious was less amazing if you asked him. His cellphone starts ringing from his jacket pocket, and he sees that it’s Lincoln as he answers the call.

“Lincoln, I was just about to call you-“

“Sir, we have a problem.” Lincoln cuts him off, his voice sounding strained through the line. Coulson sighs. Sometimes, he really hates his job. 


End file.
